Smile Like You Mean It
by CarnalCoast
Summary: The chronicles of Karma and Nagisa desperately trying to raise their child in the best way they can. (Sequel to My Better Half)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I live on AO3 and Tumblr far more than on here, so now I'll be taking the time to explain some things-I care about all of my readers, so if some of you only read from this site, I don't want you to be left out of the loop!**

 **This fic is the sequel to My Better Half, so read MBH first or you won't fully understand everything! Transcendental also takes place in the same AU, and is set between MBH and this fic. The only reason I made it a stand-alone was because the majority of its content was explicit, which would've bumped the rating of MBH on AO3-on this site, there is no "explicit" rating, only M, so it doesn't make a difference over here, but I kept Transcendental as a stand-alone anyway for consistency-also, if anyone reading MBH didn't want a sudden explicit scene pushed at them. If you want to read Transcendental to keep up with this little "series" but don't want to read the explicit parts, don't worry, everything explicit is in the third (last) scene, so the first two scenes are completely SFW.**

 **In this fic, I will be doing the same thing-any explicit scenes will be in a different fic (stand-alone(s) or I'll make a compliation fic of them, I haven't decided yet) so I don't have to bump the rating of them. I will makes notes in this fic to notify you of when any explicit scenes are supposed to be taking place, in case you want to read them!**

 **Whew, hope I explained all that okay. Thanks to everyone who read MBH/Transcendental and loved it! I hope you find this enjoyable too! (Sorry, I don't have a strict update schedule) Thank you!**

* * *

Nagisa drifted to consciousness as he regularly did these days—wrapped up in cool, pillowy sheets and entangled in his lover, warm skin against warm skin. More often than not he would also be cradling his tiny fireball of a son closely in his arms, but this time he wasn't. He registered that fact, but didn't have enough energy to act on it just yet, merely humming sleepily and turning further into Karma's hold.

After several more minutes of uninhibited resting, Nagisa accepted that his mind wouldn't allow him to fall back asleep, and he carefully extracted himself from Karma's arms to sit up. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the room; Naoki was nowhere to be seen. He sighed at the seed of worry quickly forming in his gut. It'd been a while since his boy's traumatic near-death experience, but the effects had lingered. It had left Karma and Nagisa feeling a mixture of worry, resentment, pride, determination, sorrow—the emotions persisted daily, and Nagisa didn't know how much longer he could take. At least he was brought some relief at recent Naoki's social and emotional progress.

His temporarily lost child at the forefront of his mind, Nagisa quietly left the bed and hurried to the living room, clad in sweatpants and a tank top. Knowing Naoki was very likely uninjured and safe in the house, he wasn't _overwrought,_ but he couldn't fight the inkling of concern that showed up whenever he didn't know his boy's whereabouts.

To his relief, he found Naoki curled up on the sofa and reading a book; it warmed his heart with pride to see his son reading at such a high level. It was a great accomplishment in his eyes, considering the book was likely meant to be read by kids aged eight or nine, and Naoki wasn't yet six.

Taking a glance at the clock before approaching his child, Nagisa put on a tired smile. "Hey, sweetie, what are you doing out of bed so early? It's not even eight yet, and we don't have to go anywhere today."

Naoki turned his deep brown eyes in Nagisa's direction as the doting father sat on the sofa, putting an arm around his son to pull him closer.

"I just woke up early. Laying with you and Daddy is fun, but I got bored."

Nagisa's smile grew softer as he imagined Naoki squirming his way out from between the couple and edging from the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. The boy still had his pajamas on—cerulean blue with little duckies on them—so Nagisa figured he simply went to his room for a book and spent the rest of his time reading here.

"Alright. You can wake me up next time if you need something, though."

A small pout forming, Naoki retorted, "But you looked happy asleep."

"I'm even happier when I'm spending time with you, so don't worry about things like that." Nagisa kissed the top of his son's head, patting the unruly tangles of hair—they'd scheduled a haircut for him tomorrow, he recalled with a spark of relief. He was glad that Naoki cared so much about his happiness, but he didn't want the five-year-old to be walking around the apartment by himself that often.

The pout disappeared, though Naoki didn't speak and simply leaned himself further against his father. Nagisa allowed him to return to his book for a while longer, but he soon felt his stomach tensing in hunger. He poked Naoki's shoulder, slightly remorseful to pull his son from his reading. The sight of the child's brows furrowing in concentration coupled with his still puffy cheeks and button nose was too adorable.

"You hungry? Since I'm up, I might as well make breakfast."

Naoki's faintly annoyed expression quickly turned to excitement, and he shut the book regardless of what had once held him so enraptured. "Yeah! I'll help, I'll help!" He rose as Nagisa did, jumping to the floor and pitter-pattering to the kitchen area happily.

"What happened to reading your book?" Nagisa asked rather exasperatedly as he followed. He was glad that his boy had taken such an interest in cooking lately, but after a kitchen accident involving some airborne drops of oil, he wasn't so keen on allowing Naoki near the burners when he'd be using them.

"I'll finish later. I wanna help! Can I wake up daddy?" Naoki pestered, standing in the middle of the kitchen with clueless eyes. Nagisa sighed, running a hand through his blue locks.

"No waking up your father; it's his first day off in a long while, so let him rest. And I don't know if you should be in the kitchen when I'm cooking, sweetheart... Wouldn't you much rather watch T.V. or something?"

With every word, Nagisa watched Naoki's face fall and fall, until his dark eyes were wide and his lip was quivering obstinately. When he saw it, he already knew his efforts were futile.

"No! I wanna help! Pretty pretty _pretty pretty please,_ Papa! Please let me help!" He ran up to clutch at Nagisa's sweats as he pleaded, lightly knocking and tugging hopefully at his legs. Nagisa bit the inside of his cheek, bending down to still the boy by holding his shoulders.

"Alright, alright, quiet down—don't be loud, or you'll wake your father up. Just... if you go and get your apron from the cupboard and make sure you wear it at all times, you can help a little."

Squealing eagerly, Naoki immediately ran to the cupboard and opened it, yanking down the white child-sized apron and throwing it over his head. After the accident—Naoki had sported a small burn on his left hand to show for it—Karma insisted on buying their son his own apron. They'd perused online for one, and Naoki had said that he liked the white one with the bright red flowers on its bottom half, so that was what he got. Nagisa, as he watched him struggle to tie it around himself, thought the crimson pattern on its ruffled bottom made Naoki look all the more severe with his pale complexion and dark eyes and hair, but still beautiful in his own way.

"Hey, let me help you get that on," Nagisa muttered as he knelt down, gently turning Naoki around. Naoki huffed but obliged; he'd already learned to tie a bow, but his fingers moved too clumsily half the time to do it properly.

Once the garment would no longer be falling off of him, Naoki brushed at the edges where its ruffles puffed up, mumbling, "Why did daddy get this for me if it's a girl's apron...?"

Frowning, Nagisa turned him around. "Because it's the one you liked, isn't it? It's not a girl's apron, Naoki."

"But lookit it! I didn't know it would look this _girly_ on me. Everyone at school would make fun of me if they saw me..." Naoki seemed devastated at his choice in aprons and looked to his feet sadly, still fidgeting with the cloth's edge. Nagisa also felt rather disheartened; he knew that going to school was good for his son, but the last thing he wanted was Naoki picking up any unhealthy ways of thinking from his young peers.

"It's not a girl's apron, Naoki, because _you're_ wearing it. If you're a boy, then the clothes you wear are boy's clothes. It's that simple, okay?" Naoki glanced up hopefully at the comforting words, so Nagisa continued. "Do you still want the apron? I think it looks wonderful on you, but your father and I can return it and pick out a different one for you if you don't want to wear it."

"N-No!" Naoki shot out quickly, wrapping his arms around himself as if shielding the apron from harm. "I-I do like this one the best!"

"That's perfectly okay, sweetie." Nagisa smiled at him, brushing his bangs back to press a small kiss to his forehead. "Don't be afraid to speak your mind and do what makes you happiest and most comfortable." That was all he wanted for his son, truthfully, and damn everything if he couldn't make it happen.

"Uh... Uh-huh," Naoki mumbled, giving Nagisa a short, tight hug to express his gratitude before leaning back. The excitement had returned to his eyes so quickly it made Nagisa blink. "I...! I wanna help now!"

Chuckling at the declaration, Nagisa stood up and reached for his own apron, which was a plain black. "Alright, but we're just making pancakes. What do you want in yours?"

"Choco-chips!" _Of course,_ Nagisa thought. "—But I wanna help make yours and daddy's too!"

"Don't worry, you can mix the batter that will go in all three of ours." Nagisa knew it was sort of a cop out, but judging from Naoki's eager, toothy smile, the young boy didn't seem to mind.

They got to work, Naoki showing his musical side and humming songs to himself all the while. Nagisa took care for them not to be too loud, but hummed along to the ones he knew, and even lifted Naoki up to allow him an attempt at flipping a pancake. The boy succeeded in a short toss rather than a full flip, but Nagisa complimented him on it anyway. And when he asked if he was allowed to put syrup on his, Nagisa indulged him, though he didn't understand how Naoki could stomach the tastes of chocolate and maple fused together.

"Alright, what do you want to drink?" Nagisa questioned as he transferred their last fluffy cake onto the plate which was already stacked with them. There hadn't been a peep out of their bedroom during the making of the breakfast, so Nagisa figured that Karma hadn't been roused from his slumber by their noisiness.

As he focused on taking off his apron and throwing it in the laundry bin, Naoki chirped, "I want milk! ...Please!"

Nodding, Nagisa set the plate of pancakes on the dining table before returning to a cupboard, pulling out a few more plates. He wasn't surprised; lately, milk was Naoki's drink of choice. Perhaps his body was preparing for a growth spurt and needed more calcium. "Okay. Can you set the table while I get our drinks?"

Naoki pouted at the task being thrust upon him but nodded and took the plates, eager to start eating. When Nagisa returned to the table with a small glass of milk and a cup of coffee in hand, he found the boy already in his seat and picking out his own chocolatey pancake from the bunch. He ruffled his son's hair before sitting down and taking his own—blueberry.

"Do you like it?" Nagisa asked, though seeing as Naoki had already haphazardly torn out a few syrupy forkfuls to stuff in his mouth, he figured he was enjoying his breakfast.

"Yeah! It's good! Thank you!"

"You helped make it too," Nagisa chuckled, beginning to eat but taking a sideways glance at the hallway. If Karma didn't wake up soon, he'd have to force him to get up before the food got cold.

"I want a pet!"

It seemed he'd have to entertain his child's ramblings for a while longer, though. Holding back a sigh, Nagisa turned to Naoki's insistent, large eyes.

"Naoki..."

Realizing his mistake, the five-year-old quickly added, "Please!"

Not wanting to displease Naoki, Nagisa pretended to mull it over. "...Well, what animal were you thinking of wanting?"

"Um, a kitty!" Naoki rocked his legs back and forth, excited that his father seemed to at least be _considering_ it. Whenever he mentioned wanting a pet for the household to his other dad, _he_ would always immediately turn the idea down and change the subject.

Unfortunately, Nagisa quickly sent his son an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, honey, but we just don't have the time to take care of a kitten right now. Who would look after it?"

"Me! I would!" Raising his voice ever so slightly, Naoki looked at him imploringly. "I can do it!"

"You have school—elementary school isn't far off now. And you wouldn't be able to take care of it all by yourself, dear. It's a lot of hard work, looking after a kitten. Maybe when you're older, okay?" Nagisa spoke gently, though with a tone that clearly closed this line of conversation.

Naoki huffed and sunk lower in his seat. Seeing this, Nagisa reached over to pat him on the shoulder

"Hey, you can have plenty of fun without a pet, for now. You still want your friend Tetsuya-chan to come over sometime, don't you?"

At the mention of his friend's name, Naoki's cheeks turned a light pink and he scrambled for something to say. Luckily for him, Karma came out from the hallway at that moment, still in sweats and with a bedhead.

"Breakfast smells good..." He offered as a greeting, fighting back a yawn. Nagisa smiled and rose to greet him with a kiss while Naoki stayed seated, relief and confusion filling him. His heart had sped up in nervousness when his father had brought up Tetsuya, and he didn't know what to do about it.

The recent sleepover he'd had with his friend—it'd been his first—had gone well, and he now understood what his father meant when he'd explained what a 'crush' was. When he talked to Tetsuya, his stomach became fluttery and light for no apparent reason, and he couldn't stop himself from stuttering more than usual. It unnerved him, but was also a warm feeling.

During his stay at Tetsuya's house, he'd had plenty of moments to feel that feeling. Being introduced to his friend's younger brother, who was still an adorable baby, made him feel even closer to the other boy somehow. He'd gotten to play Tetsuya's video games, eat Tetsuya's food, sleep in Tetsuya's room—all of it elated him more than he'd thought it would. He'd missed his parents dearly, that was sure, especially when they'd called to check on him. For a moment Naoki had even been tempted to plead his father to pick him up early and take him home—but, Tetsuya would be sad if he left early, wouldn't he? For his friend's—crush's?—sake, he decided to fight through it.

In the end, he was glad with the decision he made. During the night he'd been extremely scared, even _with_ the blanket fort he and Tetsuya had made, but Tetsuya had assured him that he would be alright. The other boy had even held his hand until he fell asleep. Just thinking about it now brought a new, brighter blush to Naoki's cheeks.

"You okay, bud?" Karma's question yanked him from his thoughts, and he nervously nodded.

"Mornin', daddy..."

"Morning." Karma reached over to ruffle Naoki's hair before taking his place at the table. "Did you help make all this, Naoki?"

"Um, yeah! I helped a lot!" He grinned, happy that the subject was changed for now. He'd probably have to do something about his strange feelings for his friend at some point, but for now he would be fine leaving things as they were. At least, he hoped.

"I can already tell you did a great job," Karma praised, slicing a bite of his pancake. Naoki's smile brightened, his uneasiness fading.

Nagisa glanced at his son knowingly—Naoki knew _nothing_ could escape his father's skillful gaze and held back a flinch—but then looked to Karma. "I'll take him to his haircut today, so you just stay here and relax. You deserve a day off."

"Oh _baby,_ you're too good to me," Karma retorted teasingly with a glint in his eye that Naoki didn't know what to make of. From Nagisa's flustered expression, though, it was something the child probably wouldn't _want_ to know.

"Alright, alright, be quiet..." Nagisa trailed off, staring at his plate with a red face. Karma chuckled to himself, but Naoki just felt confused. His confounded staring was soon interrupted by a finger reaching out to poke his nose. The boy grunted in surprise, looking up to listen to Karma.

"Are you excited to go on that trip with Sugino and his family? Excited to see Hiyoko?"

At the mention of Tomohito and Yukiko's only daughter, Naoki relaxed into his seat more. The girl was turning four next month, and while they wouldn't be able to celebrate with the family, they'd planned to go on a cruise with them the week after school ended. Naoki's nerves tingled just thinking about it; the last week of school was upon him... Until he'd have to go to elementary school, after the short break they'd be allowed. It filled him with trepidation.

Seeing Hiyoko, though, wouldn't be too bad. He considered her to be a friend, anyway, and she was fun to play with. Being with his aunt and uncle wouldn't be too bad either, he thought. "Yeah, I'm excited."

"You don't _sound_ too excited..." Karma chuckled, smirking at his boy, who glared and puffed up like a disturbed porcupine.

"I am _too!_ I'm just sleepy right now..." He stabbed his fork into his pancake and rested his cheek on his hand, feeling sullen. He didn't like to think about school that much, and now he couldn't _stop_ thinking about it...

"Did you not get enough sleep, sweetie?" Nagisa lightly questioned. He'd leave it up to Naoki to talk to him when he needed to, but that didn't stop him from worrying.

"I'm fine..." Naoki mumbled, and Nagisa decided to leave it for now.

When thirty minutes passed and the young boy suddenly joined Nagisa on the sofa where he was watching the news, Nagisa took his chance. "Wanna take a nap, baby?"

Naoki just nodded and curled up under his father's arm, slumbering within minutes.

* * *

Another day passed before it was Monday morning, with Nagisa driving Naoki to kindergarten as usual. He was delighted to see that his son was in better spirits than usual—likely because it was the last week of school, he thought—and listened to him ramble throughout the drive.

However, the true reason Naoki was feeling peppier than usual was because of his haircut. It hadn't been that much—just an inch off, so it now came down to the middle of his ears—but he was surprised at how much better he felt without his bangs annoyingly creeping into his vision every two minutes. It'd been the first time he'd gone to a hairdresser, and Nagisa had stayed with him the entire time, which was a comfort.

As they arrived at the daycare and Nagisa pulled Naoki from the car, though, the boy's cheeriness diminished greatly. There was only one more week of school, yes, but that was _another whole week._ Right after the following break he'd have to go to an even larger school, too—one where he probably wouldn't know his classmates and be surrounded by many more kids, some way older than him. Thinking about it unnerved him immensely, and he stopped abruptly near the entrance to the small building, looking to his feet.

Nagisa knew the process like the back of his hand by now—though he'd hoped Naoki would be more willing to go to school since he'd seemed in a better mood—and pulled his son to the side, crouching down to face him. Gently lifting the boy's head, he saw the tears welling up and felt sadness filling him as well, as it did whenever he saw his kid hurting.

Sometime during the school year, Naoki's customary fits lessened in volume and intensity, probably because he suddenly noticed that other adults and children would stare at him whenever he'd yell and cry. His classmates even asked him about it sometimes, and embarrassment would immediately fill him to the brim. So instead, he'd taken to a softer, more unnoticeable crying, and was more mindful of when he was causing a disruption. Nagisa was glad about this, at least—it showed great improvement.

Just because his son was becoming more capable didn't mean he could leave him there in this state, though. Caressing a puffy cheek gently in hopes of comforting him, he whispered, "It'll be alright, sweetie. Only five more days, and then you won't have to come back. Think about that—think about the good things that will happen once you make it through the week, okay?"

Naoki nodded, eyes closed and face red, but didn't say anything. If he opened his mouth, he'd probably sob. Pulling him closer to his chest, Nagisa sighed and looked around the area.

"Hm, I see your friend over there. Will you be able to stay strong if he's with you and takes you inside?"

Again Naoki nodded into his father's shirt, tilting his head just enough to peek out and spy Tetsuya looking their way. He didn't know how long his friend had been watching, and he felt embarrassment fill him again, but he knew he _couldn't help it._

 _I wish I wasn't like this._

It was the first time he'd had a thought like that in his life, and it almost made him even more distraught. But now wasn't the time to become even sadder.

Tetsuya seemed to have approached them on his own, and Naoki faintly heard Nagisa talking to Tetsuya's mother. Then, the assassin pulled away slightly to face the teary boy.

"Will you be alright with your friend? You need to tell me, sweetie."

Eyes squeezing, he nodded and hiccupped, "Yeah."

Nagisa smiled, reaching out to wipe away any dampness and give Naoki a few kisses on his cheeks. "I love you. I'll be here to pick you up later."

"L-Love you too. Bye..."

There was a final hug which Naoki savored before he was pulled away by Tetsuya's hand clasping his own, which gave him goosebumps suddenly. When the other boy turned to look at him, though, he tried to calm himself.

"Are you okay?"

He still felt embarrassed, but his friend did seem genuinely concerned— _it's amazing how he hasn't gotten tired of me, this, by now_ —so he answered, "Y-Yeah. I'll be okay."

In their classroom they went to their seats, and Naoki spent the lessons as he normally did—attentive as he could muster, and making himself obscure and invisible as possible. The successfulness of either endeavor altered daily. This time, though, he thought he did a good job, even if he still clammed up when he had to ask Sierra Nishimura if he could use her glue.

Lunchtime, though, was when things turned sourer. Since spring was upon them and the weather was more pleasant, Naoki had been accompanying Tetsuya outside during their break more often. His friend seemed to prefer playing outdoors, after all, and since realizing his strange, fluttery feelings, Naoki had become much more eager to please Tetsuya. Naoki had also been introduced to many of Tetsuya's friends this way, and though he wouldn't call _himself_ friendswith the other kids just yet, they didn't seem to dislike him. They were nice to be around. Sometimes.

Naoki wasn't a fan of intense and physically active games or sports though, so he didn't partake in any of that. Today, Tetsuya came to him promising they'd just sit outside and eat around the ring of trees near the edge of the playground, so Naoki agreed easily. Sitting next to Tetsuya in any situation sounded _great_ to him, after all. Though also having to sit near Tetsuya's other friends, which he was doing now, put a damper on things.

"Hey, Akabane!"

A shout startled him, and he looked up from his bento—Tetsuya and a few of his friends looked up as well. The yell hadn't come from any of them, but rather from a girl walking towards them with a few other kids following her. Naoki recognized her—Kita-san. She was pretty outspoken from what he'd heard from her in class, so he didn't have a very favorable impression of her.

Seeing that her target was looking her way, she opened her mouth again, coming to a stop a few feet in front of the sitting boy. "Is it true that you have _two_ dads? And no mom?"

The question, and her brash tone, caught him off guard a little. It wasn't completely unexpected, though. This same scenario had happened every so often—his classmates, asking him about how he had two dads. He would always respond affirmatively, of course, and none of them ever seemed too perturbed by it. Their questions had begun to confuse Naoki, though. Why were they so curious? Was it not normal to have two dads?

Kita's sudden interrogation brought these questions to the front of his mind again. No one else was responding to her, and he didn't see anything inherently threatening in the familiar question, so he answered as he always did. "...Yeah, that's true."

The girl winced as if revolted, but still held a confident glint in her eyes. A couple of the kids standing behind her snickered, and Naoki's stomach sank in dismay and confusion. Instinctively, his hand rose to his mouth as if he were vainly attempting to hide behind it.

"That's just _weird. My_ mom says that every child should have a mom _and_ a dad! I feel sorry for you. Two _boys_ raising a kid together is just sorta... _creepy..._ " She huffed as if holding back a laugh, but the domineering sneer on her face didn't fade. Someone else to the right—one of Tetsuya's friends—snorted as well, which made blood rush to Naoki's face, but the kid sitting next to them quickly elbowed them in the ribs.

"It's... It's not weird..." he mumbled; he couldn't raise his voice any higher, he just couldn't. He was sure his face was bright red, and tears were appearing—but he couldn't stop them.

Everyone was watching.

Somehow, she heard him and glared. "It is _too!_ Like, who _else_ had two _dads?_ I've never seen _that_ before. Do you even have a real mom?—How could you even be _born,_ then? To make a baby, you need a man _and a woman,_ you know. Are you some freak of nature?"

There were still some kids laughing quietly, but Naoki honestly couldn't tell where the laughter came from at this point. He couldn't speak or look up from his lap. His head wouldn't move, too busy weighed down by his anxiety and racing thoughts.

 _Why is she saying these things to me? Is it true? How could I have been born... if I don't have a mom?_

" _Stop!_ Just _go away,_ Kita-chan; you're being really rude. And hurting Naoki-kun's feelings. Just stop bothering us."

Tetsuya's voice startled him, and he looked to his friend—glaring, angry, determined. _Tetsuya's... protecting me._

Immediately Kita quit speaking, her glare now directed at Tetsuya but seeming much more childish. She huffed, but Naoki knew that she would stop. Tetsuya was well-liked throughout the class, so it was no wonder she wouldn't want to upset him.

"Fine. I'm just _saying,_ but whatever..." She turned and trudged off, the other kids behind her looking nonplussed but following.

The silence that permeated throughout Tetsuya's group was suffocating to Naoki. Eventually, though, Tetsuya turned to him, and he realized that his tears were overflowing.

"Naoki-kun, are you alright? Don't listen to whatever she was saying—she's just being a bully. I don't know _why,_ but she was... Please don't cry." Tetsuya's voice became more frantic towards the end, and he put a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to figure out a way to quell his tears. Naoki wiped at his face, though, sniffing and nodding.

"O-Okay... Ok-ay..." His voice broke into a sob, and he cursed himself for it, but he _couldn't help it._ What just happened was scary. He didn't know what to do about it.

"A-Ah, it's okay, Naoki-kun!" Tetsuya assured anxiously, pulling him into a hug. For whatever reason, Tetsuya seemed to _hate_ seeing any of his friends sad or in pain, and Naoki was currently thankful for that trait. The arms wrapped around him made him feel warm and safe. He continued to sniffle, his fears subduing.

After he calmed down, Tetsuya moved away and gave him a final once-over. Another voice suddenly piped up nearby, though, and Naoki looked to it.

"Yeah, Kita was just being a dummy. I've seen lotsa kids with two dads, or two moms, on T.V. and stuff. You're not the _only one,_ Akabane-kun. Kita just wanted someone to bully—she's _always_ like that. I'll get her later for you if you want."

The casual tone soothed Naoki as well—it was Misao Hanasaki, the girl sitting closest to him and Tetsuya. She had dark skin and hair, and band-aids all over her arms and legs. From what Naoki had already seen of her, she seemed very competitive and hardheaded, which had scared him somewhat, but now he decided that he liked her.

"Th—... Thank you, Hanasaki-san," he mumbled thickly. Misao simply nodded, her eyes saying that she _would_ really go after Kita if she had to. Tetsuya turned to her as well, eyes narrowed.

"No fighting, though. Please? If we ignore her then she won't do it again, right? She's probably just had a bad day and had to take it out on someone."

Misao rolled her eyes but looked away resolutely; from their time being friends, she'd already gotten used to Tetsuya's pacifist nature.

Around them, a few others muttered the same about how Kita was just being idiotic, and Naoki felt his nerves quiet down immensely. It was like a pillar of support, strong enough to get him back on his own two feet steadily.

"Th-Thanks," he muttered a second time, and Tetsuya patted him on the back again. They stayed quiet for minutes longer, returning to their lunches and putting the event behind them, but Naoki couldn't help speaking up again. His thoughts were racing too fast for him to stay silent.

"T-Tetsuya-kun..." he started, and when his friend gave a hum to indicate he was listening, Naoki continued, "Um, do _you_ think my parents are... weird?" Luckily, everyone else had returned to their conversations already, so no one would be likely to listen in. Naoki already felt self-conscious enough as it was.

"No," Tetsuya instantly replied, pausing from his intake of food. "I mean, _I_ think they're cool. I like blue hair—I asked my mom if I could have some, though, and she just yelled at me."

Naoki giggled at his friend's attempt to lighten the mood, but it was only a few seconds of bliss before his eyes dulled with worry again. "I-I mean, I've never _seen_ anyone else w-with two dads... Is it strange for that to happen?"

"I don't really know the answer, but..." Tetsuya met his eyes. "Everyone's different anyway, right? _I_ don't have a dad—well, I do, but he doesn't raise us or anything. And I don't think _my_ family is strange. If mine isn't, then why would yours be just because you have two dads? They seem like any other dads to me."

Tetsuya still sounded nonchalant, but his words struck a chord in Naoki that caused him to feel a powerful relief. Tetsuya was right—just because he was different than everyone else didn't mean that his family was wrong.

"If you're that worried, though..." Tetsuya began to speak again, and Naoki looked back to him, "...you could ask your parents, probably. They seem smart."

Naoki blinked, the idea sounding comforting and scary at the same time. "You... You're right. Thanks, Tetsuya-kun."

"Anytime."

* * *

Karma stared at the screen, mouth pensively resting on his hand. It was a Friday— _the_ Friday—and he and Nagisa had earlier met Ishiyo-sensei as they were picking Naoki up from his well-anticipated last day of kindergarten. The genial teacher had given Naoki a warm goodbye hug and mentioned to the couple that she would be sending out e-mails regarding the children's 'final evaluations,' as was her tradition. Basically, the guardians of her students would be receiving her report of their growth throughout the year and any recommendations she felt necessary to make. Karma hadn't thought much of it, but reading through the e-mail now, he couldn't help the strong emotions running through his veins.

 **Student exemplifies extremely high potential in the areas of Reading, Writing, Music, Artistry, and English.**

 **Student exemplifies moderately high potential in the areas of Math, History/Geography, and Science.**

 **Student exemplifies moderate potential in the area of Speaking Skills.**

 **Student exemplifies lesser potential in the areas of Physical Education and Participation/Effort.**

 **Naoki is very smart; I can see that already! He will have no problem in all his academics, I'm certain. But his social skills could use some more honing—we have a very friendly class, but he is reluctant to join in any group activities and more often than not shuns other kids away when they attempt to talk with him. He also displays a very defeatist attitude when participating in any physical activities, and is reluctant to even run for an extended period of time.**

 **I would suggest putting him in complementary music or art lessons to promote the strong points he already possesses—those are the activities he will enjoy the most, after all. I would also suggest him becoming part of a sports team to build his weaker points. Hopefully this would help him become more social as well. Whatever your decision may be, I strongly recommend at least one extracurricular that he can focus on outside of his academics.**

Sure, for the rest of the e-mail she went on about how precious Naoki was and that it was a pleasure to have him in the class, but Karma knew that was mandatory so he could care less.

His heart radiated with pride at how many subjects his son was deemed to have 'extremely high potential' in—that was true. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to reward Naoki later on and make sure the boy knew that he'd done a great job surviving his first year. However, other parts of the report induced an irritated feeling in his gut.

 _Defeatist attitude?_

Karma wasn't sure what he was supposed to make of that, but he knew _he_ certainly hadn't been that way. He'd been hoping that Naoki would inherit his natural competitiveness and fortitude, only to realize... Of course, Naoki was adopted. It was strange how easily he could forget such an obvious detail.

 _Inept social skills?_

Just another trait completely opposite from his own personality, so he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. He and Nagisa thought that Naoki had been vastly improving his social skills as the year went on, but apparently they'd been wrong... Maybe Naoki's attitude when he was at school was simply different from his attitude at home.

 _Extra-curricular lessons?_

Honestly, these recommendations from Ishiyo-san left a bitter taste on his tongue, because they were centered on the same topic that he and Nagisa had started more than one fight about. Since getting married, the couple hadn't had too many arguments—they would butt heads often, but either one would usually be quick to yield, unless their 'fighting' was for a different... impure reason. These days, any of their _real_ arguments seemed to be about Naoki—how to best raise him, how to respond to a certain situation, whether or not to put him in any supplementary lessons, academies, sports teams... Both agreed that it should happen sooner or later, but Nagisa wanted to enroll him in piano lessons _now_ while Karma wanted to put him in a sports team _later._ Needless to say, they hadn't come to any conclusion yet.

Sighing, Karma raised from his seat just as the front door opened, revealing Nagisa. Complimentary to the weather outside, he was dressed in light clothing, and he stretched as he spoke.

"Could you replace me down at the park? I needed a break of sitting in the sun, but I'm sure Ayako-san still wants some company. Watching Naoki and Tetsuya-chan out there is pretty entertaining too."

As a treat for the last day of school, Nagisa had proposed to Ayako that Tetsuya come to play with Naoki at the park near their apartment complex. She gratefully agreed and insisted on accompanying them, even bringing along her other son to play with them as well. He was only in his crawling stages, but seemed to enjoy the sandbox.

Karma approached his husband and nodded. "Sure I will. Just got Ishiyo-sensei's e-mail—I left it open for you. You should... read it." He leaned in for a quick kiss as he passed, and Nagisa tilted his head to accept it but paused him.

"...Is it good? You seem to have mixed feelings." Nagisa could clearly tell this much from staring into the muddled gold of Karma's eyes, and Karma raised an eyebrow. There was little to nothing he could hide from Nagisa.

"I'm pleased, but also worried. Proud of him, though. He's excellent, Nagisa." Not wanting to get into their past conflicts right now, Karma left it at that and put on his shoes before opening the door. "I'll stay out until playtime is over, so you can just relax in here." The _"we'll talk then"_ was unspoken, but heard.

Outside, he breathed a breath of the exalting, fresh air and easily made the one-minute walk to the park. There sat Ayako-san sitting on a bench alone, her blonde hair tied into a messy bun and a purse, looking ready to burst, resting next to her. She was holding her younger son, all of her attention focused on him. The other benches were full with parents, the playground itself full with kids—more than Karma had ever seen here. It was more than he'd think Naoki would be comfortable with, but sure enough, he spied his son near the merry-go-round with a small smile on his face. Being with his friend probably brought out his outgoing side.

As he made his way to Ayako's bench, Naoki spotted him and waved animatedly, his smile stretching wide to showcase his baby teeth. Karma smiled amusedly and waved back, sitting down next to Ayako who greeted him with her own smile.

"Hello, Akabane-san. Did Nagisa-san kick you out of the apartment that quickly?"

He laughed good-naturedly at her quip, though he was hesitant about how to speak to her. Nagisa was friends with her by now, but he himself could count the conversations he'd had with her on his fingers. Still, this was the mother of his son's only friend, so he needed to be nice.

"We just wanted to make sure you wouldn't need any help with Naoki out here. He's a little troublemaker," he joked back, sending another tiny wave Naoki's direction when the boy smiled at him again.

She laughed. "Oh, I doubt that." There was a pause, and she looked back at her youngest son before she continued. "He was very polite when he was over, I told Nagisa-san. He knows his manners well—I'm sure you're proud of him."

Karma smiled at that, though he hoped it didn't look like a smirk. Some of his smiles tended to appear that way. "Yes, we are... I'm sure you're proud of your son, too. You know, he's really Naoki's only friend. If your son wasn't there, Nagisa and I would be worried sick about him... Thank you."

"Oh..." She glanced up and appeared surprised for a moment, but smiled. "I'm glad Tetsuya could be of help, then. The thing I try to teach him the most is to be kind to everyone—to treat others well and not be judgmental. I'm glad he's taking my words to heart, then!"

It was a noble lesson, Karma understood. He nodded to appease her, but suddenly found himself deep in thought, remembering a conversation he'd had with Ayako a long while ago—when he'd first learned of Naoki's apparent infatuation with Tetsuya. Much of what she'd said back then resonated with what she was saying now. He wet his lips—would it be right to talk about something like that...?

"And honestly, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but your son's shyness is just _adorable!_ I swear, every time I see him and Tetsuya, he's always blushing and stuttering, even when I try and talk to him—I never want to make him feel uncomfortable, that's not it, I just think it's absolutely precious! I'm sure he'll grow out of it soon, but for the meantime you should cherish it!"

Her gushing brought him back to reality, and he noticed it—a moment exactly like what she just described, happening near the merry-go-round. Naoki's fingers wrapped around the hem of Tetsuya's shirt as if he were a duckling, and his face carried a tint of pink to it.

Karma held back a sigh; he'd _have_ to mention it now.

"Actually, Ayako-san... Nagisa and I are pretty sure that Naoki has some sort of crush on your son. That's probably why he's acting that way... He talked about it to me once before—he may just be confused, though, so no need for you to worry..." he hastily ended, watching as Ayako's face turned from turned from surprised to contemplative.

She seemed lost in thought for a few seconds, before she let out a sharp gasp. "Ah! So _that's_ why he was acting that way! Oh, I had no idea!" A smile quickly formed, though, which eased Karma's gut. "Well, no harm in that! It's cute, actually. Looks like my boy is gonna turn into quite the stud if he's gaining admirers this early on!"

Karma chuckled, glad that she had a positive reaction, but subtly gaining the impression that she wasn't the brightest bulb in the box. "Maybe."

"And don't worry—I won't tell Tetsuya. Poor Naoki-chan seems to be having enough trouble as it is." Her face took on a slightly worried expression as she watched the kids. "Don't worry, though. Tetsuya wouldn't just abandon him if he ever expressed his feelings. I didn't raise my boy to be that way..."

Nodding thankfully, Karma felt relief fill him. Maybe this woman was smarter than he'd initially thought; he didn't even need to say anything.

"...I hope so, anyway."

He held back a sigh.

After that, there was an extensive lull in their conversation, as the baby in Ayako's arms became fussy and she struggled to calm him down. Eventually, once they were at peace again, Karma brought up a new topic to stave off his boredom. Naoki and Tetsuya were now playing on the monkey bars, and he watched them as he spoke.

"So, did you get that e-mail from Ishiyo-sensei yet? I just read ours for Naoki."

Ayako looked up at him, lids raising. "Yep. Tetsuya seemed to have done well. A little less than proficient in math, but I wasn't too good at that either—what're ya gonna do, right? He's doing great in his soccer team and with his writing, at least. And he seemed pretty happy with how his year went."

Karma pursed his lips as he listened, though he gave her a nod and smile of congratulation when it was over. Tetsuya was in a soccer team— _of course_ he was. Still, there were plenty of things that Naoki was good at as well—things that he could probably boast about, as a proud father. Would he, though, just to try and boost his own ego?

"So, how did Naoki-chan do? Tetsuya has told me that he's really smart!"

She was practically throwing the opportunity in his face, so how could he resist—?

Unfortunately, just as he was about to say something idiotic yet simultaneously satisfying, a sharp and _familiar_ wail rang through the open air of the playground. As if on autopilot, Karma shot up and started towards the sound—he'd heard it often enough to know that it was his son.

Naoki lay stomach-down on the ground beneath the monkey bars, face turned away and crying. Karma ran towards him, faintly aware of Ayako standing up behind him. Other parents and kids were surely looking their way, but Karma paid them no mind. Tetsuya kneeled next to his friend, face obviously distressed and hands clenched beside him, unsure of what to do.

"I-I tried to stop him from falling, I swear! B-But he just lost his grip—"

"Okay, yeah, it's alright, I've got it," Karma mumbled, silencing Tetsuya's worried rambling. He picked up his son as carefully as possible, turning him up to face him. His upper body appeared completely uninjured, which sent relief through Karma's body, but there were bloody scrapes on both of his knees. Not too bad, though. It would be okay.

"You're okay, baby, you just fell," Karma muttered softly into Naoki's ear, raising to his feet and carrying the boy close. It alarmed him at how angry and _terrified_ he'd felt at hearing his son's scream, but now he was beginning to calm down.

Naoki only seemed shocked, clinging desperately to his father's shirt and probably unsure of what was happening—but that was expected, Karma thought to himself. He'd been scared, which probably reminded him of scary events of the past, which made him even _more_ scared. It would happen. He was safe, though.

"Oh, poor Naoki-chan! Let's get him cleaned up inside?" Ayako offered, approaching him with her baby in one arm and purse on the other. He nodded before hastily making his way back to the complex, not looking back to see Ayako gently taking Tetsuya by the hand and leading him in the same direction, arms full to the brim.

* * *

Nagisa's mouth quirked up as he replied to Sugino's text, idly lounging on the couch. His old friend had been finalizing the details of their upcoming cruise trip, and Nagisa felt himself already relaxing at the thought of it. He'd been thinking too much lately about things that only proved to stress him out, so this would be a welcome change... And a welcoming last moment of reprieve before he'd have to return to his career.

 _Damn, I'm thinking about it again._

The sound of the door opening startled him onto his feet, and the sight of Karma's grim face alerted him further. Quickly, he strode forward and took Naoki from his husband's arms; Karma acquiesced automatically.

"He just fell. He's okay," was all Karma said before hurrying to the cupboard below the sink where they kept first-aid supplies. Nagisa sent a welcoming nod to Ayako and her sons as they entered the house as well, but didn't pay them any more attention than that, tilting Naoki's teary face up so he could inspect it.

"Oh, oh, you okay sweetie?" He crooned, and Naoki nodded, though his dark eyes were squinted and his face was red. Nagisa, at ease from the response, softly ruffled his hair and sat him on the counter. The boy stayed still, but clenched the edge of the countertop as his father took hold of his leg, where he saw one of the scrapes.

"Are you okay, Naoki-kun? Sorry..." Tetsuya hesitantly peeped, and Nagisa turned his head around, surprised. Naoki made no effort to say anything, but lowered his eyes and sniffled.

"Oh, I'm sure nothing was your fault, sweetie, and he'll be just fine. In the meantime, I'm sure your mom could find something good for you to watch on the T.V.?" Nagisa smiled gently, darting his eyes to Ayako, who smiled back from where she already sat on the couch.

A faint blush filled Tetsuya's face, accompanying his awe-filled eyes—something Karma noted with equal parts of amusement and suspicion—before he hastily nodded and ran to the couch.

"You got this?" Karma questioned casually as he passed on the band-aids and antiseptic, and Nagisa nodded, already in the process of cleaning the scrapes. Seeing this, Karma opted to join Ayako and her sons on the couch, though he listened attentively to the gentle shushes and murmurs Nagisa would whisper periodically to calm Naoki. It warmed the cockles of Karma's heart in a profound and embarrassing way.

When he was finished and had put the supplies away, Nagisa looked at Naoki, who by now appeared calm, though not accounting for the faded, rosy rims around his eyes.

"Good?"

Naoki nodded, his lip quivering, and it was enough for Nagisa to pull him into a warm hug. The five-year-old returned it thankfully. As Nagisa rubbed his back, he distinctively heard the mumble, "...I'm a wimp, Papa."

"No, you're not. You're the strongest boy I've ever known, Naoki," he immediately whispered back, tightening his hold momentarily. He meant every word, and Naoki seemed to understand that, as he soon nodded.

* * *

The Maeda family left around seven that night, after a dinner that proved to brighten Naoki's spirits significantly. Currently at 7:25, Nagisa was about to undergo the task of giving Naoki a bath before bed. In the earlier days, Nagisa would have to help Naoki undress, get in, adjust the temperature of the water—now, though, Naoki was older and merely wanted help washing. He had no problem filling up the bath and getting in himself, so Nagisa would simply wait for the boy's customary yelling before he went to help.

It was while he was waiting for that call that he decided to confront Karma. To his surprise, he was met with no resistance.

"You were right—we probably shouldn't put him in any sports teams."

At Nagisa's confused blinking, Karma couldn't hold back a smirk; his lover looked irresistibly cute when he seemed so clueless.

"...I thought you were dead set on that. And Ishiyo-san said so as well. Why the change?"

Karma leaned back against the couch cushions with a sigh, stretching his arms out. "I just thought... well, I don't want him to hate me. I was just so focused on making him into a carbon copy of myself, but I know he wouldn't like that... Sure, I thought it would be nice to see him as competitive and resilient as we were when we were kids, but... He's not us. Besides, those were confusing circumstances—ones I don't wish on him. In the end, I've decided that he doesn't need to try and adopt that kind of cutthroat attitude. It's not for him."

For a second, Nagisa looked at him with a glint in his eye that exuded pride and love, though it was quickly covered up with doubt by a raised eyebrow. "...Oh? You decided that _all by yourself,_ did you? And what have I been trying to tell you these past few months?"

"Yeah, yeah, you were right, I was wrong," Karma mumbled whilst rolling his eyes, though he couldn't hold back a smirk. Nagisa gave his own triumphant smile and giggled to himself.

Then, a resounding "Papa! I'm ready!"

Sighing, Nagisa stood and crossed his arms. "Better get in there before he yells his throat sore."

Karma hummed and nodded, silently contemplating to himself about what instrument they would be letting Naoki have private lessons in. Just because the boy wouldn't be joining any sport team didn't mean that the parents would be ignoring _all_ of Ishiyo-sensei's suggestions; Karma was certain Nagisa felt the same way.

In the bathroom, Nagisa knelt to the tub and rolled up his sleeves. "Your scrapes okay in there? The temperature of the water seems rather hot." In all honesty, he could feel the heat against his face even as it hovered a foot away from the water. Naoki merely smiled up at him, not minding at all.

"Yeah, they're okay. It stung at first but I did it!"

Nagisa smiled back, a small gesture of praise. "Good. Looks like you didn't dunk your head, though."

Naoki's eyes rolled up as if to observe the dryness of his hair. "...I don't like to, Papa."

As he spoke, though, Nagisa had already grabbed the bucked and submerged it into the water so it could quickly fill. "Alright, close your eyes shut tight."

"Mr..." The boy grumbled, displeased when the bucket was downturned above his head and the hot water poured over him, flattening his hair. "Papa..." he whined, rubbing at his eyes when the stream subsided.

"There's no soap yet, Naoki, so quit whining," Nagisa muttered, and Naoki retaliated with a louder whine, making the parent roll his eyes slightly. "Do you want to clean yourself instead? I'll still do your hair."

At that rather aggravated suggestion, Naoki's eyes grew even wider as he stared at his father with a renewed sense of dread. Nagisa hadn't the faintest clue what the boy could be so upset about this time, until he softly mumbled, "...Are you mad at me?"

"Oh, no I'm not, sweetie. I didn't mean anything." Nagisa quickly hushed, leaning over to kiss the side of his face. "Nevermind—do you want bubbles?"

"...Yeah."

Bath-time proceeded and ended without any major disruptions, and by 8:15 Nagisa was tucking Naoki into their king-sized bed, a book ready in his other arm to entertain himself. Karma was still doing some late night paperwork out in the living room, but Nagisa was feeling rather exhausted already so he opted to stay with Naoki and read as the kid drifted to sleep. Naoki seemed pleased by his choice, looking up at him with a happy smile and curling close.

They'd said their goodnights, and Nagisa could tell that it wouldn't take long for his son to fall asleep, but he couldn't help himself. His eyes darted from the page in front of him, honing in on the pool of damp, dark hair near his shoulder.

"Naoki..." When the boy shifted his legs under the covers, Nagisa continued, "How do you feel about music lessons? A piano teacher, maybe?"

At once, Naoki's face popped up and beamed at him, excited despite his sleepiness. "Piano?! I wanna! That sounds fun—I get to play more? I want to!"

Nagisa smiled back at him, glad that he'd responded favorably. If he hadn't... well, Nagisa had a feeling they would've had to force him into it anyway. He could easily see that Naoki needed more stimuli, more interactions outside of home, more _something_ , and maybe piano lessons was just the thing...

"Yep. Don't get too anxious now—we'll talk more about it later. It's going to happen, though, so I'm glad you're looking forward to it."

Naoki squealed happily, clinging onto him and nearly knocking his hands from the book. "Thank you! I love you, Papa!"

"I love you too." Looking at his son, appearing _so happy_ after so many moments of unhappiness and fear, made him feel at a loss for words—it was surreal. Nagisa desperately held onto reality at that moment, even if his expression seemed calm and serene as ever. "Now, go to sleep. Your father will join us in a while, too. You need your rest for tomorrow, remember?"

Reminded of the cruise they were to embark on tomorrow, Naoki nodded and sunk into the mattress again, pausing for a moment before burrowing under the covers and against his father like a baby badger. His small feet kicked and shuffled against Nagisa's abdomen painfully, but he found himself not minding.

"Okay, I'll sleep!"

Chuckling softly to himself, Nagisa patted the blanketed lump next to him. "Sweet dreams."

It was only a matter of minutes before Naoki overheated and rolled onto his other side, but the moment seemed nevertheless endearing.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun beat down bright and scathing on Naoki's head. It was a feeling he usually despised, but it felt somehow soothing at the moment. In front of his eyes, sparkling waves extended far out, and he could still see the faint edge of the coastline moving farther and farther away from them. It was amazing, unlike anything he'd ever seen—from the gasp of awe beside him, Hiyoko hadn't seen it before either.

"Hey, don't lean so close to the edge!" Naoki reprimanded her, catching her wrist to pull her back from the railing. Her silky, black hair danced through the wind as she stepped closer to him. It had grown since he'd last seen her, and he thought the long, low pigtails were a nice look.

"Nao-chan, I'm jus' looking! Stop!" She protested, puffing her cheeks out, and Naoki apologized lowly. He knew he had to be the stronger, mature one. He was older, and their parents were currently near the opposite railing of the large boat. That meant that he needed to protect her, for now—at least, that was how he liked to look at it.

Spending time with her was nice; she was his cousin, in a way. Though she could be outspoken at times, he'd gotten used to it. A part of him thought that, maybe, this was what it could be like to have a little sister.

A sister... That'd be cool, maybe. His thoughts traveled back to his conversation with Tetsuya, on the day he'd been bullied. Before he could get too lost, though, Hiyoko elbowed him.

"Les' go back." Her large, childish eyes looked up at him impertinently, so all he could do was nod. The view was stunning, but he'd admit that he didn't need to admire it any longer.

As they walked back to their parents, Naoki decided to try making conversation. "Now that you're four, are you scared about going to kindergarten?"

"Nope. I can't wait!" She quickly replied, a wide smile stretching her cheeks. Naoki nodded, but his eyes lidded in disappointment. She was stronger than him, even at her age. It was frustrating.

* * *

That morning, near the docks and with suitcases and family in tow, Sugino had waved them over with an energetic grin. Even Naoki could easily spot the man through the crowds of people, and his hand had tightened around Nagisa's. This 'uncle' of his was a strange character, he thought, but also a comforting one.

His aunt Yukiko had also been a warming sight; the first thing she did was smile encouragingly to him, exuding a maternal air that rivaled Nagisa's. Hiyoko, limbs dangling from her mother's arms, had smiled as well, and it was enough to relax Naoki immensely.

Nagisa, on the other hand, couldn't let go of his current anxieties. It was only when they allowed the kids to go off on their own that Karma noticed it and sent his husband a knowing glance. _"This is your time to relax; don't think about such things while you're here."_ Nagisa knew he should listen, but it was nigh impossible to forget the phone call he'd gotten from his boss just yesterday. His next mission would be sooner than expected, and the only word that could describe how he was feeling about it was... conflicted.

Sugino and Yukiko weren't helping, either; once they got any pleasantries out of the way, they immediately began asking about his job and what he was planning to do. The couple had been among the first to know about Naoki's near-death experience and were understandably worried. Nagisa was humbled that they would care so much, but their worry was only succeeding in increasing his own stress levels...

"I... I'm going to take on a new mission soon after I get back, I think. It'll be fine, I'm sure." He hesitantly reported, hoping that this would satisfy his old friends' concerns. Thankfully, both Sugino and Yukiko smiled at him, relieved.

"That's great. I hope for the best. And... if you don't mind me asking, how is Naoki-chan doing?" Yukiko inquired tentatively, brushing her hair out of her face as a rather strong gust of wind washed over them.

Karma grew tense next to him. Nagisa could feel it, and stepped in. "He's improving. I think he'll be alright. Nervous about elementary school, understandably, but he's happier..." A small smile graced his face against his will.

"That's nice to hear," Yukiko conceded, and Sugino nodded from beside her.

"I see now, though... that he's still doing that thing with his hand. It's cute, don't get me wrong, but d'you think he'll ever grow out of it?"

The group looked to where Sugino was gesturing and saw Naoki gazing out at the scenery with Hiyoko beside him. Sure enough, his hand was pressed to his mouth. Hiyoko pointed to something on the horizon, jumping excitedly.

"Oh, yeah..." Karma acknowledged.

Nagisa's eyebrows furrowed as he turned back to Sugino. "It's just a bad habit of his... To cope, probably. I'll get him to stop eventually, somehow..." He tried to make himself sound optimistic, but desperately failed.

"Well, he's probably just stressed because _your_ girl is so hard to handle. Was she always that rambunctious?" Karma piped up jokingly, easing the tension in the air. Sugino retorted adamantly, and they quickly moved on to a different, less abrasive subject.

Dinner on the cruise ship was expensive and delicious. Seeing Naoki interact so comfortably with adults other than himself and Karma made pride burst in Nagisa's chest. Yukiko especially would spoil the boy; Nagisa knew that she thought he was excruciatingly adorable. Many of their old friends from 3-E tended to think so, actually—a fact that made him thankful and wary at the same time.

"I know we're here to celebrate your wonderful daughter's birthday, but I just feel the need to mention another special date that's coming up soon."

At Karma's comment, the adults turned their attention towards him. Nagisa understood immediately, and his face grew slightly pink, his fork pausing on the way to his mouth.

"Karma, stop..." he whispered quickly, but Sugino was already grinning.

"You're wedding anniversary, am I right? Heck, even I can remember the date, considering it was such an extravagant celebration."

Yukiko smiled in understanding as well, much to Nagisa's embarrassment. "Oh, is it coming up soon? Congratulations! Any special plans?"

Nagisa was still gripping Karma's sleeve insistently, but laughed nervously. "Ah, thank you..." It wasn't that he didn't want to celebrate his anniversary or anything; rather, he found it slightly embarrassing to be talking about it when they were supposed to be on this trip for Hiyoko's sake...

"Huh? What happened?" Naoki's small voice piped up from next to Nagisa. The boy apparently had pulled himself from his rambling with Hiyoko to listen in on such an exciting-sounding conversation. Nagisa wet his lips and let go of his husband's sleeve, thinking of how to respond.

"It's... Well, soon it will be the anniversary of when your father and I got married. On that day, we'll be married for four... years..."

Naoki nodded in understanding, a sparkle appearing in his eyes at the thought of his parents being bound together for so long. Nagisa's eyes, however, grew vacant. Four years. Had it really been so long?

 _I... feel old. Dammit._

Karma, grinning at the amazed look in his son's eyes, added, "Yep. And that day, we'll celebrate it. We can even make a cake."

Hearing that there would be sugary confectioneries, Naoki's eyes widened, and he donned a smile. "Really? Yay!"

The adults laughed at his exuberance, and Nagisa felt himself relax again. So he was slightly caught off guard when, just a second later, Karma put a hand on his neck and pulled his head to the side for a gentle kiss. Nagisa didn't have enough time to react before he pulled away, but his cheeks were ahead of him, already lively and red.

"I can't wait," Karma intoned. There was a lecherous glint in his eyes, but it was greatly overshadowed by unconditional love—Nagisa's heartrate choked.

Too happy for words, he forgot his embarrassment but still didn't reply, turning back to his plate with a hot face. Karma was surely smiling from beside him. Thankfully, everyone was already back to their own conversations, leaving Nagisa to sort things through.

It was true that he felt stressed; his anniversary would be the day before he left on his mission, after all. He wouldn't be able to stay up late, or celebrate to the fullest... Though, it was better than having to start a job on the day _of_ his anniversary. That would just be pure evil... He'd take what he could get. Karma didn't seem annoyed or stressed by it, so maybe he shouldn't be either.

* * *

That night, Naoki spent the later hours with Hiyoko in her family's room. The two families acquired rooms exactly adjacent to each other, so Naoki was at ease knowing that his parents were just a wall away from him. Besides, he planned on going back to their room to sleep—it was only at Sugino's suggestion and Hiyoko's excited pleading that he was here now, helping his younger cousin build a fort of pillows and blankets on her designated bed. Sugino and his wife sat relaxed on the other bed, watching television—it was peaceful. Naoki liked it, but it made his eyelids droop even more than they already were.

"There, done!" Hiyoko proclaimed triumphantly, crawling underneath the array of covers to check the spaciousness of their fort before popping back out with frizzy hair. Naoki grinned back, the comfy sight of piled pillows and blankets appearing increasingly enticing to him.

In fact, they looked so enticing that he couldn't help but crawl inside to test the cushiness, Hiyoko gladly following him back in. Light still shone in through the blankets, but the inside of the fort appeared just like the inside of a cloud—nothing but cool softness. Naoki fell into a corner of their pile, caught up in the serenity, and Hiyoko joined to curl up beside him.

"This is fun!" she squealed, and he nodded happily in agreement. For once, he wasn't the slightest bit annoyed as she launched into a somewhat incoherent tirade about how her birthday party had gone. Rather, he almost found himself lulled to sleep by it... It wasn't dark at all, and he was with people he trusted—the fear that would otherwise keep him awake with anxiety was gone. All that was left was Hiyoko's perky voice.

"...An' he was _really_ nice! He helped me blow the candles, an'..."

Naoki had no idea which of her friends Hiyoko was describing this time, but her words immediately directed his train of thought to Tetsuya... He didn't understand why, but he couldn't help thinking of his blond crush. Face filling with a soft blush, he remembered what had occurred on that last Monday of school, and his fingers curled into the blankets.

 _That girl... thought it was weird to have two dads. Tetsuya said it wasn't strange, but..._

Turning his head to inspect Hiyoko, who rambled on without a care, Naoki felt an uneasiness pervading his calmness. Hiyoko had two parents as well—a mom and a dad—and anyone could easily tell that she was related to them. She had her mom's hair and nose, her dad's eyes and smile... She'd even inherited her dad's tenacity and her mom's compassion.

His dark eyes turned downwards, focusing on nothing. What had _he_ inherited from his parents...? Anything? His hair and eyes were much too dark, and his skin too pale... He wasn't athletic or outgoing enough, either.

 _Daddy and Papa are nothing like me... Neither of them._

Feeling too much like a black sheep, Naoki's face turned downcast, and he curled in further on himself. After a few seconds, Hiyoko's voice paused.

"...Are you okay?"

Feeling her pudgy hand tentatively touching his shoulder, he raised his eyes again. "Yeah. I'm just thinking."

She finally appeared serious, which he was thankful for. "'Bout what?"

"Just..." Naoki lowered his voice, nervous about the adults in the room even if they weren't likely to overhear them in their fort. "...about our parents. Yours are different than mine—you have a mom."

When she merely nodded to that fact, he continued, "...I have two dads, though. Do you think that's... weird?"

After seeming to mull the question over for a little while, she answered with a knowing smile, "No! My daddy told me before that it doesn't mind!"

Knowing already that Hiyoko had picked up a strange habit of saying 'mind' instead of 'matter,' Naoki got the picture and nodded, relieved. But then again, he thought, of _course_ Uncle Sugino would tell her that...

"Why do you think we're different, though?"

She took some time to think again, before shaking her head. "It's not different really, right?"

Naoki paused, contemplating how he was going to explain this to Hiyoko... who probably didn't have any idea how babies were made. Well, Naoki wasn't one-hundred percent sure what the process was either, but he'd heard enough secondhand information to be positive about how the basics worked.

"...Well, every child needs to have a mom and a dad—I mean, that's how people are made, by a woman and a man."

Hearing this, Hiyoko's eyes grew wide with amazement—clearly, she hadn't heard that before. "Really?"

"Y-Yeah? That's what everyone in my class says. That means I should have a mom, right? But, I don't... and I don't know why."

Taking some time to think again, she answered, curling her hair around her finger, "Maybe two mans can make a person too?"

Naoki's eyes lidded, doubtful. If that were true, then Kita wouldn't have bullied him, right? Or, maybe she just didn't know...

"Maybe. I don't know."

The two children lapsed into a deep, contemplative silence, before Hiyoko filled it again. "You could ask your daddies. Or my mommy or daddy. Maybe?"

Faced with the same advice Tetsuya had given him, Naoki could do nothing but nod. "Yeah. Okay."

Grinning now, Hiyoko shot up from her prone position, suddenly raising her voice. "Cool! Mo—"

Immediately, Naoki understood she was going to call out for her parents, and reacted instantly by pulling her back down and covering her loud mouth. "No! Shh—be quiet!"

She struggled at first, but soon acquiesced into his hold. When she stopped moving, he removed his hand, mumbling, "Don't just ask _now._ I'll do it by myself later."

Turning her head to pout up at him, she crossed her arms. "But I wanna know too!"

"You can ask by yourself later, then. Or when I find out, I'll tell you. Right now, I want to do something else..."

Naoki realized she had the attention span of a rodent, as her expression quickly turned passive and her arms uncrossed. "What?"

"Um... Let's play a word game. Do you know any?"

They moved on without a fuss, much to Naoki's relief. And after they became bored by their game, Hiyoko asked her father to tell them a story about 'the great octopus-teacher.' Sugino followed through with only some exaggeration; Hiyoko seemed engrossed in the story as he told it, though Naoki had already heard this one from his own parents. It was nice to hear it again anyway, and he was quickly becoming drowsy from lying down in the fluffy pile.

Hiyoko, despite her boundless energy, seemed to be in the same boat; before he could comprehend it, her eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling rhythmically. Eventually, Sugino's voice disappeared. Naoki's eyes fumbled around, and he vaguely noticed that the room outside of their fort was darker than before. With that last thought, his eyes closed.

Hours passed before Naoki regained consciousness, and in the moments before his cognition fully returned to him, he floundered in a panic. He was completely surrounded by pillows and covers, unaware of the location, time, place—he felt entirely suffocated, and desperately batted at the cushy material around him. Within a few seconds he managed to worm his way out from underneath the fort and popped his head out, loudly breathing in the fresh air.

His eyes scanned his surroundings—right, he was in his uncle and aunt's room... His Uncle Sugino was staring at him, wide-eyed, and preparing to advance. Naoki's eyes darted to the door, quickly locking on his own father, who was wearing a white robe supplied to them by the cruise line. Nagisa stared at him as well, surprised and dazed.

Before Sugino could get to him, Naoki shot out of the bed like a bullet and ran to hug Nagisa's legs. "Papa! Papa!" He couldn't comprehend exactly why he felt so scared, so anxious. All he knew was his emotions; he wanted to be with his parents, where he was safe.

Nagisa instinctively knelt lower to wrap his arms around his son, leaning his cheek on top of his dark hair. "I'm here, sweetie. Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare just now?"

As he heard his father's serene murmurs, he felt himself relaxing, and his thoughts slowed. Yes—he was certain that he must've had a nightmare. He had no idea what had happened in it, though; he didn't want to know. Instead of saying anything outright, he gripped Nagisa's robe tighter.

Understanding, Nagisa exhaled evenly before hefting Naoki up into his arms, standing up straight to carry the boy. Naoki kept his head in Nagisa's shoulder. He felt much better already, but his father was like a safety blanket—he didn't want to let go.

"I can handle it, Sugino-kun. Thank you for letting him stay here and looking after him."

"It's no problem at all, Nagisa-kun... I was happy to help, anyway. Meet us for brunch in a bit?"

"Yeah."

Naoki didn't pay much attention to the conversation, staying silent and motionless as he was carried to the adjacent room and placed on the edge of the bed. Faintly, he heard a shower running from the closed bathroom door, and figured it was his other father.

Nagisa sat next to him, his hand placed comfortingly on his back. Silence persevered for a moment, before the parent carefully spoke up.

"Are you okay? Want to talk to me?"

Finally, Naoki looked up to see his father's worried, loving expression, and he felt a warm glow rise in his chest. "...You... weren't there. You and Daddy weren't there to keep me safe when I was sleeping."

At first, Nagisa seemed at a loss for words, his eyebrows twitching apologetically. "...I'm so sorry, sweetie. Did you not have a good time with Hiyoko-chan? We were only a room away—nothing would've happened to you."

Naoki didn't answer, and Nagisa soon pulled him closer to his side. He bent down to kiss the top of his head. "Did you have a nightmare? Want to tell me about it?"

"...I don't remember it, except that it was scary," Naoki mumbled into Nagisa's side, and Nagisa nodded. The father became surprised, however, when Naoki continued, "...It's not your fault, Papa. M'okay now. Don't feel bad."

Pulling away to stare at him contemplatively, Nagisa then nodded again and hugged him once more. "Alright, I'm glad you're okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

This time, Nagisa faced him with a slight smile. "...So, does that mean you're all ready to get dressed and go meet up with them?"

Naoki wrinkled his nose in response, making Nagisa giggle amusedly.

"Alright, alright, I was joking. Wanna cuddle while I read?"

He couldn't help his slight embarrassment—was he getting too old for this?—but he also couldn't deny his delight at the suggestion, and nodded happily. Nagisa hummed as he pulled his half-read book from his carry-on, and Naoki joined him at the head of the bed, curling up under his arm and resting his head on his chest. For the next twenty minutes, the only sound echoing through the room was that of the running shower.

* * *

 **A/N: There is a NSFW scene that takes place during this chapter. If you want to read it, I'm posting it as a separate fic called "Look at Me." If you don't read it, you won't miss any plot-it's just smut.**


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